Boom Hawk Changkuoth Jiath opens up on his incredible journey to the AFL

Changkuoth Jiath could not kick or handball when he started playing after arriving in Australia. He opens up on his incredible journey, including learning the game.

The thought is not lost on the young man everyone has come to know as ‘CJ.’

On Easter Monday, Hawthorn young gun Changkuoth Jiath will run out onto the MCG to face Geelong in the annual blockbuster.

Last week, he went viral when he turned the tables on the game’s biggest star in Dustin Martin by delivering the gun Tiger’s signature ‘don’t argue’ move on the triple Norm Smith Medallist.

“I actually didn’t know it was him,” Jiath laughed.

“I just happened to fend him off and then I kicked it and I turned around and realised it was Dusty.

“Then the siren went so I was able to actually think about what had just happened rather than concentrating on the play.”

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Changkouth Jiath gave Dustin Martin a taste of his own medicine with a don't argue on the MCG.

It is lofty heights but Jiath is well aware that had things been different he might still be in Ethiopia, where he was born in a refugee camp.

Or in South Sudan, where his parents had fled from to escape the perils of civil war, ethnic cleansing and political turmoil.

“It comes to my mind every now and then, just what could have been,” Jiath said.

“There’s been conflict in South Sudan and Ethiopia and that’s been going on for years, and you also hear of kids that been misplaced.

“It comes to your mind every now and then what could have happened.”

Jiath, who has five siblings, has only vague memories of the refugee camp his family had called home.

He can recall ‘having a kick of the soccer ball’ with his friends and siblings, but he turns to his parents to learn of the hardships the family endured before being accepted as refugees into Australia.

“You hear stories now and then about how bad it was, and mum and dad have told me about their experience of trekking from South Sudan to Ethiopia to seek refuge,” he said.

“You come to appreciate life a bit more and everything you do have around you here.”

Jiath tries to stand on Dusty’s head. Picture: Getty Images

EARLY LIFE IN COUNTRY VIC

Jiath had never seen a Sherrin before.

Not long after his family had been accepted into Australia and had settled in the Latrobe Valley, Jiath found himself intrigued by the other kids kicking around a ‘strange looking’ red ball.

He was more accustomed to soccer and basketball, but was eager to fit in and started playing Aussie rules with the Morwell Tigers’ under-12 side.

“Not knowing the game at all, it was very daunting,” he said.

“I just remember I couldn’t kick, I couldn’t handball.

“But over the next few years I really fell in love with the game and became really invested in it, and I guess it really helped me flourish into the player I am today.”

His new sport also helped his family make connections and friends in their new home.

“We left all our family and friends behind and to start a new life in a place we’d never heard of or ever been,” he said.

“But the best thing about football is it takes you places you’ve never been and helps you meet people you’ve never met before.

“It definitely really brings a community together it was a good way of making friends, and from that also my parents meeting other parents.”

The Jiath family loved Morwell, and the now Hawthorn defender said the people could not have been more welcoming.

“I made friends straight away in Morwell as soon as I got to the school and I’ve still got friends from grade 3 when I started,” he said.

“It was a great experience.

“And I imagine for Morwell as well, and especially at our primary school because they probably would have never had any multicultural or South Sudanese kids around.

“They were very welcoming to me and my family, which is a credit to them.”

Changkuoth Jiath learned the game at elite Xavier College.

Jiath was a star at Xavier and the Hawks took notice.

CATCHING THE FOOTY BUG AT XAVIER

The now 21-year-old needed some convincing.

He was a teenager when the opportunity arose to leave Morwell for Xavier College on a scholarship.

It was the logical choice, and in hindsight he said it was the best decision he’d ever made.

“I wasn’t sure at first because I didn’t really want to leave my family behind as I didn’t know anyone there and I’d have to board there,” he said.

“There were a lot of things going on in my mind at that stage, but it was definitely best for my future and my development as a person and as a player.

“It helped me how to handle relationships and how to talk to people I don’t know, and it made me become the person I am today.

“Credit to Xavier as well as they didn’t have to welcome me like that.

“They didn’t know me but students would still offer to have me over for dinner to their place just to make me feel welcome.”

At Xavier, he was coached by Collingwood premiership player Luke Ball and brother Matt, before forming a bond with former player and AFL multicultural ambassador David Rodan.

His intercepting across half-back for Xavier, and then the Gippsland Power in the TAC Cup, caught the eye of recruiters.

He began to dazzle with his spectacular athleticism and X-factor.

Before the 2017 draft, the Hawks football boss Graham Wright, who is now at Collingwood, said the Hawks were considering the Next Generation Academy youngster.

“We like some of the things he does, we think he is athletic, he can mark the footy, he kicks it reasonably well and we will consider him late in the draft,” Wright said at the time.

He wasn’t drafted but the Hawks then snapped him up as Category B rookie, which put the African-born teenager on an AFL list.

Hawks fans have given Jiath a big thumbs up. Picture: Getty Images

HIS RISE AT THE HAWKS

Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson now chuckles at the thought.

There has been only one game in over a 100 years of VFL-AFL that has been played in snow.

It happened when Jiath made his debut against the GWS Giants on a freezing night in Canberra in 2019.

It’s about as far away from his Ethiopian beginnings as possible.

“His is a fascinating story, including his first game being played in the snow, which is the first time in the history of the game that had happened,” Clarkson said.

“That’s all part of his story and we’re really pleased with the progress he’s made over the last three years in particular.

“He’s showing some good signs that he’s starting to get genuine belief that he can compete at the level.

“But he’s played less than 10 games so he’s only scratched the surface in terms of what he can do.

“A big part of recognising what you can so at this level is having the belief you can do it, and he’s starting to get there.”

Jiath played in a VFL premiership with Box Hill in 2018 and has continued to improve to the point where he’s been one of Hawthorn’s best in its first two weeks this year.

He credits a strong off-season for his blistering start to the year, which has included a 25-possesion performance off half-back against Richmond last week.

“I was sort of I guess blessed with my athleticism and ability to run and even that was a big focus as well,” Jiath said.

“But overall it was my footy I really wanted to dial in on (during the pre-season) with the help of Sam Mitchell and all the coaches.

“I was able to work on certain areas and I feel like all my teammates and coaches have been really helpful for my development and continue to be.

“But I just want to now keep improving and be the best player I can.”

Jiath is part of the Hawks’ youth brigade. Picture: Getty Images

He is hungry to keep improving and said he was motivated by his young teammates in Dylan Moore, Finn Maginness, Jack Scrimshaw and Will Day.

“We really push each other because we’re just so competitive and it helps each other, and if we end up getting the best out of each other,” Jiath said.

“I feel like these guys helped me during the off-season because they’re great guys and we’re a young side and we always want the best for each other.

“And Sam Mitchell and Chris Newman have really helped me as well.”

No matter the heights he scales in the AFL, Jiath will never forget his roots.

He said one day he will visit his former home and the place his family left behind in search of a better life.

“It’s obviously hard right now (with the pandemic) but I’d definitely like to go back at some stage in my life,” he said.

“Hopefully when things start settling down in South Sudan and Ethiopia, I’d love to go and see where I grew up.”

Lachie Henderson and Geelong coach Chris Scott celebrate winning the 2020 AFL Second Preliminary Final over Brisbane at The Gabba in October 2020. Picture: Getty Images

HOW SHOCK LIFELINE SAVED CAT’S CAREER IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE

Lachie Henderson admits for most of his career he has been a self-confessed stress-head.

The kind of player who obsessed over injuries and form and anything that might interrupt the perfect preparation of his weekly routine.

But that all changed late in 2019 when the curtain had all but fallen on his football career.

A decision by teammate and ruckman Ryan Abbott to make a late move to St Kilda cleared a list spot for Henderson, and, as a result, he stopped sweating the small stuff.

Henderson will again take up his customary spot in the Cats backline against Hawthorn on Monday, having not surrendered his position since an unlikely Round 8 elevation last year.

From the brink of footy’s scrap heap, he thrived in hub life, was Geelong’s best player in the qualifying final loss, and was 60 minutes from premiership glory.

Henderson was recruited to the Cats from the Blues.

“There was so much chaos happening last year, but I just enjoyed the chaos,” 31-year-old Henderson told the Herald Sun.

“Everything was all over the shop, but we were still playing footy and doing what we loved to do.

“Anyone who knows me in my first half to three-quarters of my career knows I was a massive stresser.

“But in the last few years with things that have happened, with changes in footy and changes in life, I have been able to teach myself to relax a bit more and realise less is more and to not get held up on the little things.”

Henderson described his 187 games across three clubs – Brisbane, Carlton and Geelong – as a whirlwind career.

“I have been everywhere,” he said.

“I got delisted in 2019, I had injuries. I had three knee surgeries in 2017-18 and plantar fascia in 2018.

“I had to change my training, change the way I did things and that was the main stuff that made me realise I had to stop worrying about the little things I can’t control.”

SECOND CHANCE

Henderson said he finished 2019 unsure if Geelong had a spot for him as the off-season loomed.

But instead of throwing the toys out of the cot, the former Brisbane and Carlton key tall headed overseas, having told the club he was prepared to accept a rookie-list spot if it fell his way.

When Abbott made a surprise decision to move to St Kilda, he had his lifeline.

“I lost my ego a long time ago,” Henderson said.

“From Geelong there was a little bit of, ‘You are gone’, but also it was left in my court to see what I wanted to do if there might be an opportunity there.

“They wanted to see if I was willing to (wait). I said, ‘Why not? If it doesn’t work it doesn’t work’.

“It wasn’t a big deal to me that it was only a small chance.

‘It was my choice to say I will throw my hat back in the ring. I know I can still play, so if they want me back they will take me back.

‘The universe will decide for me and it did.”

Henderson in action last year after he earned a surprise call-up. Picture: Albert Perez/AFL Media

Finally after so many injury-prone seasons, Henderson caught a break.

By the time the condensed season saw him called upon in Round 8, he had built his confidence in 15 v 15 scratch matches as he carried the momentum of an injury-free summer.

“I always rate myself to know what is going on and whether I am a chance or not,” Henderson said.

“The week I came in, the Fremantle week, Scarlo (defensive coach Matthew Scarlett) came up two or three days before and said you are a good chance and it took me completely by surprise.

“It just comes back to letting go. Understanding I don’t need to worry about every single thing.

“It’s taken me 12 years to work it out. I just wish I had worked it out 10 years ago.

“I will be honest, I had a few moments where I thought, ‘I will get dropped this week for sure’. I do rate myself on knowing that, but I got that wrong and I just kept going and going.”

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Lachie Henderson and girlfriend Rebecca Klodinsky in the AFL hub last year. Picture: Supplied.

THAT ONE MESSAGE

Hub life was crazy, with his girlfriend Rebecca Klodinsky running her IIXIIST bikini brand from the team hotel as Henderson thrived in the hard-charging Geelong outfit.

Then, as Geelong lost its way, in the qualifying final against Port Adelaide, Henderson was a calm, assured beacon in defence with 18 possessions and a pair of contested marks.

“Yeah, it’s funny. I wasn’t (calm) at all. It’s the most nervous and anxious I was leading into any game all year,” he said.

“I don’t know why because I have played a fair few finals over the years.

“I remember where I was sitting before that game and Nigel Lappin sent me a nice message which calmed me down a bit. I have saved it and I will keep it to myself but it was just, ‘You have done this before, it’s nothing new. You don’t need to stress’.

“The Port Adelaide game, they clipped us and we didn’t feel like we played that well early and then in the Collingwood and Brisbane finals we clicked.

“It was nice to get those two weeks and make the Grand Final.

“We have been close for a while now which has been widely publicised and came close. But the Tigers got us.”

Henderson on the final siren of last year’s Grand Final, as Tigers Dustin Martin and Jack Riewoldt celebrate. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos

FINAL PAIN

Everyone has a theory about why Geelong lost the ultimate game of the season in 2020.

Gary Ablett pondered whether the Cats lost their brave ball movement late, while the Cats looked exhausted as Richmond surged from 21 points down.

“I watched a little bit of the Grand final which I had to make myself do,” Henderson recalled.

“I made myself watch. I flicked through it when it was on Fox Footy and it was halfway through the third quarter and I made myself go through it.

“They are just a great team. You can’t take anything away from them.

“We just did a few things wrong after half time. And up until then we did so well and they just have some great players who stood up when it counted.

“It’s a very stock-standard answer but it’s true.

“They are the team they are and what they can do in a short space of time, which we felt was impressive.

“They are a momentum team and we did it in the first half and chose the wrong half to be up. Everything was going against us and we couldn’t slow it down.”

Footy legend is full of coaching sprays about missed Grand Final opportunities, but for the Cats there was no anger or recriminations.

“I think everyone was just so sad,” Henderson said.

“There was so much emotion to the whole year and so many people were away from family and friends.

“We let one go and we could have done a better job in the second half.

“But there was a deep sadness that we couldn’t get it done.”

Originally published as Boom Hawk Changkuoth Jiath opens up on his incredible journey to the AFL